People
Here a short presentation of some of the most important members of Bombana’s staff in the kitchen and on the floor. They come from different experiences and different parts of the world, they have joined 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA with enthusiasm and sharing a huge passion for fine dining, high quality items, but above all the same aim, the complete satisfaction of the guest, following Chef Bombana’s philosophy.
Sous Chef —
Giuseppe De Vuono
Chef Giuseppe was born and raised in Messina, a port city in the north-east of Sicily. He studied at the Professional Hotel Management High School “Antonello da Messina”. At the age of sixteen, he began an internship in the Aeolian Islands, where he got greatly inspired by the beauty and the lush nature of the place, which taught him respect for food products and raw materials.
At the age of seventeen, he took part in the annual competition of the “European Association of Hotel and Tourism School”, and – among 600 young competitors – he won the silver medal.
After graduating, he began his career as a chef, in Italy and then in London. In London, Chef Giuseppe worked for several starred restaurants and 5-star hotels such as “Locanda Locatelli” and “The Connaught Hotel”. During his last stint at The Connaught Hotel, he was part of the team that started a new restaurant concept, opened by Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
His many experiences in the F&B field, helped him to strengthen his skills and techniques in fine dining. Three years ago, Chef Giuseppe arrived in Hong Kong and began his experience at “Tosca di Angelo”, at “The Ritz-Carlton Hotel”.
Today, Chef Giuseppe is part of the “Otto e Mezzo” family and works side by side with Chef Umberto Bombana to take the culinary experience to the highest level of Italian cuisine.
General Manager —
Antonello Picchedda
Antonello was born in Sardinia and raised in Veneto. His passion for the world of Food and Beverage dates back to his teenage years. After graduating from the Hotel Management School of Treviso, Antonello delved into an in-depth discovery of wines and became a professional Sommelier, certified by the Italian Sommelier Association (AIS).
Antonello worked for various iconic Relais and Chateaux hotels and restaurants between Veneto and Tuscany. During his military service between Friuli and Emilia-Romagna, he discovered his passion for cheese and olive oil. In 2005, he obtained the Master of Slow Food Award for extra virgin olive oil and national and international cheeses. In 2006, he opened his own gourmet shop in Treviso, which was awarded the national Slow Food Prize for “Shop of the Good Cheese”. In 2007, he obtained the diploma of cheese taster by the Italian Association ONAF (National Association of Cheese Tasters). In 2012, after exploring international viticulture in the United States and Australia, he landed in Hong Kong and started his F&B experience there, focusing on authentic Italian fine dining until 2016.
In 2017, he finally joined our company, “Lai Sun Dining”, becoming part of the staff of the modern and starred steakhouse “Beefbar”. In September 2018, he went to Paris to take part in a master class on beef cutting, lead by the famous Japanese Wagyu Butcher Noriaki Numamoto. Antonello has just recently joined the “Otto e Mezzo” family, working alongside Chef Bombana to offer an authentic Italian dining experience to each and every guest.
Restaurant Manager —
Alan Lam
Alan Lam was born in Hong Kong. With over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he began his story at the JW Marriott Hotel from 1998 to 2003, after a journey back from the UK.
Alan was an opening team member at Joel Robuchon’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Central and further progressed his career with the opening the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse in 2011.
Today, newly appointed Restaurant Manager at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA in 2013, his sound & vibrant experiences in the fine dining scene will continue to shine and engage Umberto Bombana’s team to the next level.
Assistant Manager —
Leo Kwong
Leo Kwong was born in Hong Kong. After his studies, he worked for several hotels, such as “Hotel Nikko” at the Front Desk, “Kowloon Hotel” in Human Resources and “Royal Plaza Hotel” Hong Kong, before arriving at “The Ritz-Carlton” in 2003, where he met Chef Bombana and Danilo. He followed this one for the opening of Italian Restaurant “Domani” in 2009, and in 2010 assisted the new team to open 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA Hong Kong and Shanghai in 2012. Today he is Assistant Manager and proud to be part of Chef Bombana’s engaging team.
Assistant Manager —
James Lam
Having grown within the 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana family, James comes with a rich background in the Hong Kong hotel and restaurant industry, since he has worked at the Regent hotel for eight years, and later on at the Excelsior hotel’s F&B outlets for nine years.
In 2012 he joins 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana where, under the guidance of the experienced management team, he keeps honing his skills and knowledge.
In 2016 he is promoted assistant manager, working every day to uphold the standards and warmly look after our guests.
Event Manager —
Winnie Ng
Entrusted with the key role of reception manager, Winnie leads the front desk team with expertise and professionalism.
Having started her career at Dan Ryan’s in the year 2000, in 2007 she joins the opening team of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong, first as a hostess and then senior hostess.
In 2013 Winnie is brought over to Umberto Bombana’s team as Head Hostess of 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, developing further her relations with the customers and event organizing skills.
In January 2016 she is promoted Reception Manager, performing her tasks admirably in one of the busiest fine dining restaurants in Hong Kong.
Head Sommelier —
Kenji Torres
Originally born and raised in the Philippines, Kenji moved to Hong Kong in 2008, where he started his career in the F&B area. His first experienced was working in a restaurant kitchen for two years. Afterward, he focussed to become a bar-tender for a couple of years, and eventually honed his skills in a western fine-dining concept in one of the busiest places in Hong Kong.
Kenji worked his way from the bottom to eventually become part of the management. Over the years, he extensively trained in both the Front and Back of the House.
In 2015, he started his career of specialisation in wines and obtained his first certification in 2016. The year after, he joined “Otto e Mezzo”. During this experience F&B field, he developed good interpersonal skills and greatly improved his wine knowledge.
Now Kenji, an Advanced Sommelier of The Court of Master Sommeliers, is managing the restaurant’s almost 7000 bottles of wines.
Bar Assistant Manager —
Dicky Chau
Dicky Chau is from Hong Kong. Thanks to his past experience in the F&B field, he has become very driven and curious to learn more about fine dining and drinking.
Dicky started working in bars after his graduation, gaining strong interrelationship skills and expertise in the beverage area. He developed a special interest in mixology and in prized alcoholic beverages, in particular during his last three years at “Otto e Mezzo”.
According to Dicky, mixology is not just about mixing alcohols, but rather a form of art. The real barmen are artists, as they need a great imagination to create well-balanced and elegant cocktails. Until they take a sip, they will never know if their drinks turned out as they expected, and how they will be appreciated by their customers. Therefore, all power of creation is in the hands of the mixologists, who are sorts of magicians able to create the perfect cocktails.